Fait-mill



Patented July 10, `1845iv m W MRR N M m w G M N. NN. ,n.PsN. T.. .IH :N .LN a Il r b G .v w., w u

No;v 4,105.

UNITED sra'rns rimani onirica.

ISAAC T. GRANT, Old"V SCHAGHTICOKE, NEW YORK.

FAN-MILL.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 4,105, dated July 10, 1845.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC T. GRANT, of Schaghticoke, inthe county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fan-Mills or Machines for Cleaning Vheat or other Grain; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof.

In the fan mill, as ordinarily constructed, the current of wind created by the revolving fan acts with equal, or nearly equal, force upon the grain in every part of its descent from the hopper to the lower part of the machine, and it becomes necessary, therefore,

to pass the grain twice through it in order to effect its cleaning; in the first operation, the chaff and other light substances are blown out, which is called chafling; but a greater force of wind, and a second action, are required to separate the other foreign matter which is heavier than the chaff, but lighter than the wheat, or other grain; which second operation is called screening.

My improvement consists in adding to the screens, and other parts in general use in fan mills, an additional screen and what I -de nominate a chess board, which are arranged in such manner as to cause a much stronger blastof wind to act upon the grain at the lower part ofthe shaking sieves, or screens, than at the upper, and thereby to aid the action of said sieves ineiecting the screening; by which means the two operations are performed simultaneously, and that in less than half the time required for cleaning the grain in the old way, and performing the work more eiect-ually.

In the accompanying drawing, I have given a vertical section through the middle of my improved machine, from front to back, such a section serving to show the4 arrangement of all that is novel therein, the wind-wheel, the shaking apparatus, and the shoe that sustains the sieves, being substantially the same with those previously used.

A, A, is the fan wheel; B, B, the hopper, and C,.C, one side of the shoe. The numbers on the respective screens serve to designate the number of meshes to the inch which may be most advantageously employed. The screens D, No. 2, and E, No. 4, are the same with those in other machines. The screen F, No. 9, has an inclination forward, and terminates at F and the grain which falls upon it from N o. 4, is carried forward by the shaking of the shoe, and when it reaches the point F, it falls upon G, N o. 7 which having an inclination backward carries the grain in that direction, in a cleaned state. Intermediate between the screens No. 9, and N o. 7 is a board I-I, which extends forward to the same distance with screenNo. 9, and in the direction represented; at its rear end it eX- tends back to the point H', where the vanes of the fan-wheel just clear it. By this arrangement of the board, I-I, a funnel-formed passage, I, I, is produced, through. which a very strong current of wind passes, which operates with great force at the diminished space where it meets the falling grain, and is thereby enabled'to blow out everything that is lighter than the vfull kernels. I/Vliat foreign matter passes through the screen No. 7 falls into the space J, and thence under the machine, while the greater part of .that which is blown forward by the strong current, fal-ls through'the space K, and is, in like manner, conducted below the machine; the cleaned grain, leaving the screenNo. 7, passes along the inclined board, L, and out at the rear end of the mill.

Along the chess board, H, I place a ledge of wood, a., extending from one side of the shoe to the olther, and through each of these sides, and close to the ledge, I make a hole F2; the ledge a, arrests the chess, and other foul matter, which fall on said board through the screen No. 9, and by the shaking of the shoe they escape through the said holes, and descend among the refuse stuff. ,The groove in the sides of the shoe marked b, is intended to receive a fine screen, say from No. 8 to No. l2, when the machine is used for the cleaning of clover, iax, or other small seeds, but is unoccupied at other times.

Having thus fully described the arrangement of the respective parts of my improved fan mill, and explained the operation thereof, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'Ihe manner in which I have arranged the screen F, and the chess board, I-I, and coinbined them with the screens ordinarily used, so as to obtain two distinct currents of wind, and to subject the falling grain to the stronger current below the screen and chess board, thereby blowing 01T the heavier portions of foreign matter, while the chaff is blown offiby the ordinary currents in the upper compartments of the shoe.

ISAAC T. GRANT.

Witnesses:

THos. P. JONES, Em W, BLAKE. 

